travel - So Easy Being Green

Fluffy Friday: incredibum Wet Bag {giveaway!}

May 18, 2012 By Lindsey Leave a Comment

As an incredimom, I’ve had the fabulous opportunity to try out all of incredibum’s products! I’ve reviewed their bamboo cloth diaper, cloth wipes, and this time I received an incredibum wet bag! When I saw the product name, wet bag, I assumed it would be a small wet bag to carry in the diaper bag for short day trips. But I pulled it out of the package and saw, what I would normally refer to as a pail liner! incredibum actually calls it their large wet bag!

It’s advertised as “Large Bag is perfect for vacations, day to day diaper laundry or those fun family trips to the pool. It fits perfectly into an eight gallon pail.” And it does just that!

I use it as our pail liner and it’s one of my favorites. It’s super thick and durable and has never felt damp on the outside. It has a drawstring closure which I love for use as a pail liner, but if I was using it as a large wet bag without a lid on top {like on vacation}, I would be afraid that smells would escape rather easily.

I love the fact that it’s reversible and comes in 2 fun colors – it gives your pail a whole new look!

I have to say… I love the incredibum bamboo cloth diaper and I love their cloth wipes, but I think the wet bag has been my favorite product so far! All of the incredibum products are of the utmost quality and very well worth their small price tags!

Buy It: You can purchase the Large Wet Bag for only $12.95!!! This is a great price for a pail liner/wet bag of this quality. The wet bag comes in 3 choices with 6 different color options.

Win It: One lucky So Easy Being Green reader is going to win a Large incredibum wet bag of their own!

Don’t miss Jenny’s Fluffy Friday post at According to Jenny!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: cloth diapers, Current Giveaways, fluffy fridays, Green, Review, travel

Summer Splash Sponsor Spotlight: The First Years

May 10, 2012 By Lindsey 1 Comment

Are you loving all these great giveaway events!? I sure am – they’re tons of fun to participate in and I love bringing you some fabulous products too!

I’ll be participating in the Summer Splash Event, which begins this Monday the 14th! I’m taking a bit of a unique take on Splashing in the Summer and with today’s Sponsor, you’ll see how!

When I was contacted to review The First Years Sure Comfort Newborn to Toddler Tub, I said sure! I wanted to see the bath tub that was named one of Babble’s 10 best infant bathtubs last year! Moreaya had outgrown the tub that we were using with her so I had been laying her in our big bath tub on a mat.

This tub is so fun and super practical for our family because it can seriously be used for babies as Newborns all the way up to Toddlers at 25lbs! It comes with a mesh sling for newborns and I plan on keeping it JUST IN CASE we need it again in the future {far future… like 5 years into the future! }

It also includes a mesh sling with padded headrest providing extra comfort and support to cradle even the littlest ones. The form-fitting netting provides security, making bath time less stressful for both parents and baby! And, it’s machine washable and dryable.

The First Years Sure Comfort™ Newborn to Toddler Tub provides all the security, comfort and convenience parents and growing babies need in a tub. Its deep ergonomic design holds baby better for bathing, and parents will love that it fits both single and double sinks. Plus, the mildew-resistant pads make for a cleaner bath.

Moreaya doesn’t mind this tub at all! She used to squirm in the other one we had and I just knew it had to be uncomfortable. This bath tub is padded in all the right places and keeps her in a comfortable position. And just because it says that toddlers can fit, we had to try it out…

They do! Sophia is right at 24-25 lbs and she fit into the tub. It would probably be hard to get her to actually keep the water IN the bathtub, since it’s pretty small and compact, but it could be done. I think taking this tub along with us when we’re camping would be a great way to get the girls a bath without putting them in community showers!

The way the tub works is one side is the Infant side, with more support at the back and bottom for little ones and the other side is for toddlers who can easily sit up and need more padding for their bottoms.

Buy It: At under $20, this is definitely the bathtub that I would recommend to friends and family members that are looking for something to bathe their Infant and even Newborn in – especially since it can last for children up to 25lbs! The First Years Sure Comfort™ Newborn to Toddler Tub is easily available to everyone as it can be found at Walmart, BabiesRUs.com, and select Target stores!

Win It: One lucky So Easy Being Green reader will have the chance to win their own The First Years Sure Comfort Newborn to Toddler Tub {in their choice of Pink or Blue} in the Summer Splash Event – that starts on Monday, May 14th!

Filed Under: baby, family, parenting, Review, toddler, travel

#MayBuffet Sponsor Spotlight: Peter Rabbit Organics

April 30, 2012 By Lindsey Leave a Comment

Our next sponsor for the Keep Your Baby FULL & GREEN prize package for May Buffet will keep your baby… well, both FULL & GREEN! Peter Rabbit Organics makes some of the green-est, most organic veggie and fruit pouches on the market.

I love how they describe their products… “You won’t have to read the label – the fruit you see on the front is what’s inside!” Isn’t this what we all want to see in our food products? No hidden preservatives, chemicals, etc. This is especially important when we’re feeding our babies and toddlers!

Our fruit and veg puree pouches are all organic, contain 100% fruit and veg, and never have added sugar or anything artificial. If you do read the label you’ll see your snacks are high in vitamin C, have between 70 and 85 calories, 0 fat (of course – it’s fruit!) and 1.5-2 grams of fiber. Peter Rabbit Organics don’t require refrigeration before eating and come in BPA-free resealable pouches for easy packing. Plus, the convenient, squeezy pouch (with a no-choke cap) makes it fun and easy for little hands!

Moreaya is just now beginning solids – and I’m actually planning on making her very first green veggie tonight – as she’s been ~~spitting out~~ enjoying cereal for a week now! So I haven’t been able to give her 1 of the 3 pouches that we received from Peter Rabbit Organics because of food allergy hesitations – you should always introduce new foods to your baby one ingredient/food at a time! Since all of the pouches include at least 2 combinations of foods, I’ll have to try them separately for her first.

Please Mommy? It looks so tasty!

Mommy says "Not yet".

But it looks SO yummy!

But, the good news is, just because these pouches are pureed food doesn’t mean they are only for babies! It’s about the consistency of applesauce and I let Sophia try one out {so I could taste test too!} and she really enjoyed the Mango, Banana and Orange as a mid-day snack! And I can vouch that it really does taste like Mango, Banana and Orange! Sophia and I are mango-obsessed!

Veggie and Fruit pouches are my favorite way to take food/snacks on the go – and I love that you can screw the lid right back on them and refrigerate for up to 48 hours! I can’t wait to let Moreaya try all of the other flavors!

Get a head start to the May Buffet Giveaway by liking Peter Rabbit Organics on Facebook and following them on Twitter.

Buy It: You can find Peter Rabbit Organics Fruit & Veggie pouches at stores near you, including Starbucks and Publix. They can also be purchased on Target.com and Diapers.com! Pouches retail for around $1.50 each – price based on bulk pricing on Target and Diapers.com websites.

Win It: Peter Rabbit Organics is offering one lucky So Easy Being Green reader a chance to win 12 assorted pouches in the May Buffet Giveaway – which begins on May 1st!

Filed Under: baby, Green, parenting, Review, toddler, travel

We had such a great time at the Great Cloth Diaper Change 2012!

April 23, 2012 By Lindsey 1 Comment

We had a WONDERFUL time at the Great Cloth Diaper Change this weekend! I attended the Change in Knoxville, TN – it was quite a drive for me, about an hour and a half, but well worth it! I went with a friend and her 4 month old son. It was such a fun time because our location really outdid themselves from last year!

Source: GCDC, Knoxville

This year, the Knoxville location held a Natural Parenting Expo as well. It was a fun time, getting to meet and see local businesses… including Swaddlebees & Blueberry Diapers {who are local to Knoxville} and Cutie Tooties – and lots more!

Our location made up some cute shirts, which I definitely had to have for the girls and I! They gave away some great prizes and even though I didn’t have any luck that day, it was still fun to enter for them! Sophia enjoyed the Music & Movement program too! Moreaya loved the Expo too as she got to ride around in our new Beco Gemini the whole time… and loved it {so did I!}.

Source: GCDC, Knoxville

When it was time for The Change, we went into a separate room that was quite full of Mama’s and Babies! Sophia snacked while we waited patiently for the time to come!

Moreaya was changed into her brand new Bummis Easyfit – the same diaper I reviewed last Fluffy Friday! Although she doesn’t look like she enjoyed it at the moment, she did afterwards!

I was so happy to be a part of the 2012 Great Cloth Diaper Change! It’s a wonderful event that’s bringing awareness to the ease of using modern cloth diapers and their benefits!

Did any of you participate in a GCDC in your area? I’d love to hear how it went!

Filed Under: baby, cloth diapers, family, toddler, travel

Real Diaper Week: Today’s the Day! Attend a local GCDC Event!

April 21, 2012 By Lindsey Leave a Comment

This blog post is a part of a series to celebrate Real Diaper Week and the Great Cloth Diaper Change that will be taking place this Saturday, April 21, 2012. Each day this week, I’ll be discussing a different angle on the topic of cloth diapers to bring more awareness to the Event and to CD’s themselves! Feel free to chime in by way of the Comments section, or if you’re a blogger yourself – JOIN IN the fun!

Great Cloth Diaper Change 2012 – Attend and invite a friend to a local GCDC event!

Today’s the Big Day! At 12:30 pm EST today, I’ll be changing Moreaya into a brand new Bummis EasyFit with Snaps! {Read my review on the diaper in yesterday’s Fluffy Friday post!}

I hope you’ve already made plans to attend a Great Cloth Diaper Change Event in your area because it’s going to be a ton of fun! We’re helping spread the news about modern cloth diapers AND breaking a Guinness Book World Record!

Filed Under: blogging, cloth diapers, Green, travel

Spring Break… Here We Come!

March 21, 2012 By Lindsey Leave a Comment

Well, I wish. Sophia came down with a Viral Respiratory bug a couple of days ago and although the blooming Spring flowers are beautiful… they have taken a toll on my allergies. In case you weren’t aware, East Tennessee is one of the worst places to live if you have pollen allergies – lucky us!

So, I’d love to pack up and go on Spring Break… somewhere far away from all of this pollen! Unfortunately sweet hubby doesn’t have the Vacation time and we don’t have the Vacation funds to do that right now, at least a far trip, so we’ll have to stick around the mountains and the trees. But that’s not going to stop us from short travels! Sophia loves to be out and about, and honestly she doesn’t have much choice! We love to be active and spend time with our family doing fun things that are going to create great memories!

But, as anyone with a young child knows, traveling with a vivacious, always starving and thirsty, attention-seeking, rambunctious Toddler can be testing! Right? Luckily, Earth’s Best Organics has the always starving part of that equation covered!

When we packed up to spend a day in the Smoky Mountains last week, I loaded the diaper bag down with some easy and healthy snacks for Sophia. She was so excited because I let her go through the bag of healthy treats and pick whatever she wanted. {It’s all about control with this lady, I’m telling you!}

Some of her Sesame Street favorites were the Sunny Days Snack Bars and Yogurt Rice Crisp Cereal Bars! I love them because I don’t feel guilty about her munching away when they contain only the best ingredients for my child and they’re not nearly as messy as some other snacks that you find at the market!

Try those, along with Earth’s Best Crunchin’ Crackers that are made from organic wheat flour and fortified with calcium, iron, zinc and six B Vitamins. These snacks contain no hydrogenated oil, trans saturated fats, artificial flavors, colors or preservatives, and your children will love them!

Filed Under: Earth's Best Organic, parenting, travel

New Baby Grand Prize Giveaway: Diono

January 16, 2012 By Lindsey 15 Comments

Like a lot of parents, when we decided that we were going to be having a Baby Shower, we registered for gifts. I’m talking Sophia’s Baby Shower {we didn’t have one for Moreaya since she was another girl and we had plenty of everything for her!}. One thing we registered for was a Convertible Car Seat. We wanted a safe seat, of course, but we were also looking at price. I realized that we didn’t want to exactly ask for the most expensive seat that was available at the store where we registered.

This was before I did my research. This was before I realized what a difference there could be between car seats. This was before I saw a Diono Radian RXT in person. Seriously. Sophia used her “other” Convertible Car Seat sparingly while she was an infant. It was in Rob’s car just in case we ever needed it. She moved to it, rear-facing still, when she turned 8 months old. She used it until just up until the Diono came to our doorstep.

I was quite amazed at how sturdy the seat is. It’s Steel Alloy Frame is one reason. I couldn’t believe the cushion that it had and Sophia loved it immediately, climbing into it in the floor as I was reading how to adjust everything. I hadn’t heard of Diono, and you may think you haven’t either, but they just recently had a name change from Sunshine Kids.

If you practice Extended Rear Facing, this car seat is for you. While most convertible seats can only rear face until a child hits 35lbs, the Diono Radian RXT can be used on children from 5-45 lbs, rear facing! Forward facing extends the number to 80 lbs, and when used as a Booster, up to 120lbs! This car seat is truly one that can be used for your child’s entire car riding experience! It is the highest rear facing car seat on the market, making it an exceptional safety seat. I truly feel so much more at ease when Sophia rides in her Radian, as to when she rode in the other.

A few great features of the Radian RXT that I don’t want to leave out are: they are NCAP crash test rated, can fit 3 across most cars {it is amazingly slim and compact}, and it can fold completely flat for storage and travel. Although the safety of this seat is ultimately the best thing about it, I love the way it fits in our Van and how low sitting Sophia is in it. You wouldn’t believe the less amount of strain on my back when I put her in this seat.

Although Moreaya could definitely ride in this seat, safely and comfortably, I chose to review it on Sophia instead. Simply because I feel like it’s so much safer than her previous seat and the fact that it’s her seat {according to her}! But you better believe Moreaya will be riding in a Diono when she outgrows her Infant Seat, as well!

You may be like me and look at the price tag on everything before you buy. Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, especially if you’re a 1 income family like us. But, there are times when you get what you pay for… this is one of them. I have no doubt that Sophia is safer in the car because of this seat, plus it will take her through even her Booster years! That’s the frugal part coming out in me!

You can connect with Diono through Facebook and Twitter.

Don’t Forget: Check out Michelle’s great Review Today of aden+anais!

Buy It: You can purchase a Diono Radian RXT, like the one I reviewed, at a variety of online and local retailers. These seats retail for about $299.00 and come in a lovely variety of colors and a few prints too!

Win It: One lucky So Easy Being Green reader is going to win a Diono Radian RXT Convertible+Booster Seat!!! This giveaway is open to US residents only.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: baby, parenting, Review, toddler, travel

New Baby: Red Charlotte Car Seat Straps

January 14, 2012 By Lindsey 3 Comments

I am so excited that one of my favorite creative friends that I’ve met through blogging, wanted to participate in the “New Year, New Babies, New Mommies of 2” Event! I love her, I love her shop, and most of all… I love her creativity, inspiration, and wonderful products!

If you’ve been around for awhile, you’ve probably read about Charlotte and her Etsy Shop, Red Charlotte on SEBG. I’ve raved about her Stuff Sacks {which are a total must if you have a soft structured carrier like an ERGO, Boba, or Beco} and about the adorable sucking pads that she makes to adorn the carriers {and save them from getting totally gross and drool covered}. When I wanted a cute pair of car seat strap covers for the girls, I knew that I could go to Charlotte and she could come up with something fabulous.

And she did! She did such a great job at them that she decided to start carrying them in her shop full-time after she made ours! And little Miss Sophia is one of her current sales ladies… {she loves to model}!

Charlotte created not 1, but an adorable 2 sets of car seat straps so my little ladies could match! {I can’t wait to show you them together… but you’ll have to wait just a few more days on that picture!}. The straps are reversible with the adorable print on one side and pink minky on the other. These straps are quite different than most you see for sale, as they are slimmer and don’t slide around as much on the straps, which I love. They’re removable with the velcro closure and wash very well!

Buy It: You can purchase a set of Car Seat Strap Covers that are ready-to-ship OR have Charlotte make your own custom set! These start at $16.95 for a set! While you’re at her Etsy shop, beware… you will want to buy much, much more than just these little beauties!

And… Charlotte is offering a very much coveted 10% Coupon Code for you all! Just use “SEBG10“!

Win It: One lucky So Easy Being Green reader is going to win their own set of Red Charlotte Car Seat Strap Covers {up to $16.95}! This giveaway is open to residents WORLDWIDE!

Don’t Forget: Check out Michelle’s great Giveaway Today for a chance to win a Breathable Baby Bumper!

[Read more...]

Filed Under: baby, Green, parenting, Review, toddler, travel

Less than 30 days to go!

December 5, 2011 By Lindsey 6 Comments

In honor of Mom Blog Monday, I’m gonna do a little “mommy blogging” today…

As of today, I am 35weeks, 1 day and I feel every single day of that number. Simple tasks are getting much harder to finish and I definitely feel my energy dwindling. I have a regular scheduled Dr.’s appointment later today and I’m excited to hear Moreaya’s heartbeat {that never gets old, right!?}. At my last appointment, I scheduled my C-section so I know for a fact that we will be seeing Miss Moreaya in only 29 days! {unless she has other plans}

Without going into lots of details, this will be my 2nd Cesarean delivery, as Sophia’s birth was an Emergency C-section. Although lots of Moms choose to try for a VBAC, we chose this route and are happy with this decision. I hope I recover as well this time as I did the last!

So, my sweet hubby and I have had a lot of “Really? 30 days!?” conversations this weekend. It just seems like the time has completely flown by and we are so excited, nervous, and scared to death to have 2 little girls under 2 in our house! We’ve been trying to fit in as much “going” and “special time” for Sophia as we can… taking her to Dollywood, the Zoo, and all around looking at Christmas lights and Santa! Although none of these are quite as exciting as Flights to Paris, she has enjoyed them all! I know she won’t remember later on, but it’s been so important to us to show her how special she is to us and that having Moreaya join our family is only going to enhance it!

She talks about “Morenonna” quite a bit. {Apparently “Morenonna” is her interpretation of Moreaya}. We always ask her if she’s ready for Moreaya to be here and she responds, “Yes!” She then goes with a little rant of “Morenonna. Cry. Blanket”… meaning when she cries she’ll give her, her blanket {which is a little square piece of picnic fabric she plays with in her kitchen!}

So, ready or not… we’ll be a family of 4 in less than 30 days! And believe it or not… we’re totally ready!

Filed Under: baby, parenting, travel

Semi Wordless Wednesday

November 9, 2011 By Lindsey 1 Comment

Whew. I’m on a roll today with blogging!

Last weekend we decided to take the plunge and buy Dollywood Season Passes for next year. By the time we’re ready to go, Moreaya will be about 6 months old, Sophia will be 2, and we’re excited about sharing these adventures with our girls! The awesome thing? If you buy your 2012 Season Pass now, you get to go this Christmas too!

So, we packed up and headed to the Smokies for the day. It was Sophia, Rob, my Mom {Mamaw}, and me! We had the best time and slept almost all day the next day, well, Rob and I did! We were exhausted!

We thought Sophia would love the train and she did like it, but little did we know that there were rides that she could ride all by herself! I couldn’t believe I was able to strap my little 17 month old girl into a ride and let her be so independent. She was so good and loved the rides so much! So much, in fact, that she would start hysterically crying as soon as the ride stopped. It was cute, a bit embarassing, and gave all of the other parents around a little chuckle!

Here are a few family photos from the day…